The Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner, the newest and longest model of the 787 family, took to the skies for the first time yesterday at Boeing South Carolina, starting a series of test flights.

Accompanied by a chase plane, the aircraft took off at 09:38 am from North Charleston, South Carolina in front of 6,000 employees. It landed back at the North Charleston airport after completing a successful flight totaling four hours and 58 minutes.

Commanded by Boeing Test & Evaluation pilots, Captains Tim Berg and Mike Bryan, the airplane performed tests on flight controls, systems and handling qualities.

The 787-10 will now undergo comprehensive flight testing before customer deliveries begin in the first half of 2018.

“From takeoff to landing, the airplane handled beautifully and just as expected,” said Berg, chief 787 pilot. “The 787-10 is a fantastic machine that I know our customers and their passengers will love.”

As an 18-foot (5.5-m) stretch of the 787-9, the 787-10 will deliver the 787 family’s preferred passenger experience and long range with 25 percent better fuel per seat and emissions than the airplanes it will replace and 10 percent better than today’s competition.

The 787 Dreamliner family is a key part of Boeing’s twin-aisle airplane strategy, which offers a modern, optimized and efficient airplane family in every market segment.

Since entering service in 2011, the 787 family has flown more than 152 million people on over 560 unique routes around the world, saving an estimated 14 billion pounds of fuel.